Ken Jacobs was born May 25th, 1933 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He attended the High School of Industrial Arts and often visited the film screenings of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Acquaintance with George Grosz. Served at the US Coast Guard. In 1955 he continued to study painting in New York, from 1956 he studied with Hans Hoffmann. In 1956 he befriended the filmmaker Jack Smith. First films and first attempts in silhouette theater. Founded the Millenium Film Workshop in New York. Taught film studies at the St. Johns University. In 1969 he founded the film department at the State University of New York in Binghamton together with Larry Gottheim. From 1971 to the present he has been professor of film in Binghamton. In 1986 he was a guest of the DAAD (Berlin Artist's Program). In 1996 his work was shown in a comprehensive film retrospective in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.